1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatus for carrying one vehicle on another and more particularly to an apparatus for carrying a type of vehicle commonly referred to as an all terrain vehicle on the back of transporting vehicle such as an automobile, pick-up truck or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, relatively small three and four wheel vehicles of the type commonly referred to as all terrain vehicles have been developed and their popularity has increased for recreational and light duty work related off-road activities. Such vehicles, hereinafter referred to simply as ATV's, are not licensed for highway use and therefore must be transported to and from suitable recreational or job sites.
Conventional transporting methods are being used such as in the beds of pick-up trucks, or in trailers. However, this means that if a person is to use a ATV for recreational or job related purposes he must have some sort of specialized licensed vehicle for transporting purposes.
If a person does not already own a pick-up truck, it simply is not economically feasible to buy a relatively expensive vehicle for the sole purpose of transporting a considerably less expensive ATV. Although the cost for purchasing, or having a special trailer made for ATV transporting purposes is considerably less than the purchase price of a pick-up truck, trailers are not without some shortcommings or drawbacks. Some people simply do not like trailers for various reasons such as their towing and other handling characteristics, or because of non-use storage problems, and the like.
To the best of my knowledge, no apparatus has been developed for allowing an ATV to be carried by a non-specialized vehicle such as passenger cars, vans and the like.